The present invention is in the technical field of food preparation devices. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of fruit and vegetable peeling and skin removal devices. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of increasing the speed, efficiency and portability of electrically assisted vegetable peeling and skin removal devices.
In the prior art there exists a number of attempts to remove a thin outer layer, which includes the skin, of ordinary produce items such as potatoes, carrots, zucchini, apples and oranges, and in particular there is demonstrated the slow and inefficient process of affixing the product to a continuously rotating pallet. Of the most prominent:
There exists the prior art practice of using a single stationary cutting device while maintaining the blade in a stationary position and setting the object being processed in motion, this as discarded waste material is removed in long and thin ribbons which have been known to become entangled in the machinery thus interrupting the process.
There exists still further in the prior art practice the necessity for setting and maintaining a slow and methodical pace for the operation mainly because of the small amount of material that can be cut away at any instantaneous moment and exacerbated further by the necessity to limit the rotational speed of the object being processed.
There exists still further the prior art practice of loading a quantity of objects to be processed into a spinning, shaking, oscillating tub the sides of which are lined with abrasive material. It is the intent to set the machine into a course of violent, shaking motion and thereby toss or jostle the processed objects against the abrading material until a layer of flesh including the outer skin has been removed. Such a process at the same time contributes to the unintended deleterious effect of removing an excessive amount of vegetable material and thereby causing undue waste of the otherwise edible food product.
There exists still further the prior art practice of using a multiplicity of sharp bladed instruments arranged around and embedded within a tubular support structure which is to be spun above and across all outer surfaces of the processed object (Schaffer et al) essentially abrading away layers of flesh including the outer layer of skin. Such a process at the same time contributes to the unintended deleterious effect of leaving behind a large quantity of very finely granulated waste material that without the advantage of flowing water to carry away the occluding waste also greatly reduces the efficacy of the device.
There exists still further the prior art practice of using several forged steel eyelet-type cutters arranged around and embedded within a tubular support structure which is to be spun above and across all outer surfaces of the processed object (Schaffer) and which is also claimed to have overcome the unintended deleterious effect so stated in the preceding paragraph. Lacking a guide surface for the waste and also a shield to trap the peelings contributes to a further deleterious and potentially hazardous effect of spewing the waste material in all directions.
There exists still further the prior art practice of using a water-driven motor element connected to a source of pressurized home tap water while using a drum to spin elongated and exposed blades attached to the drum. It is further expected that the fluid effluent may also flush discarded waste material from the drum. With the appliance being hand held, there exists the disadvantage of accidentally spewing the fluid effluent toward work areas that would not normally be expected to absorb water or otherwise be exposed to moisture.
There exists still further the prior art practice of using exposed and adjustable blades attached to once and variable types of rotating shafts designed to process large volumes of edible foodstuffs while resting on a table or other surface capable of sustaining substantial weights. For safe operation around most of these commercial appliances it is commonplace to assume that professional food preparation workers can be expected to observe safety procedures such as wearing gloves and other protective clothing while on the job. These are appliances that once put into place are neither lightweight, portable, nor are they often moved.
There exists still further the prior art practice of simultaneously rotating both the processed object and the cutting tool as a method for increasing the efficacy of skin removal on edible fruits that happen to be possessed of certain unique qualities. One such quality is described as a fruit or vegetable that has a soft inner layer between its skin and meaty flesh. It is felt that when a cutting tool is moved in the direction of its cutting edge as the workpiece is also in motion, that the pressure necessary to sustain high quality performance is lessened, a quality that tends to be of interest mainly to users of precision commercial equipment.
U.S. Patent Documents4,073,056Feb. 14, 1978Schaeffer et al4,128,939Dec. 12, 1978Schaeffer4,211,002Jul. 8, 1980Kirk4,656,936Apr. 14, 1987Bardon4,765,234Aug. 23, 1988Cailliot4,771,682Sep. 20, 1988Ishikawa4,972,769Nov. 27, 1990Cailliot